The success of the surgical procedure resulting in the need for bone tissue to join or rejoin adjacent bone segments often depends on the ability to reapproximate the bone segments, the amount of compression achieved between the bone segments, and the ability to sustain that compression over a period of time. If the surgeon is unable to bring the bone segments into close contact and keep them in contact, a gap will exist between the bone segments and bone tissue will need to fill that gap before complete healing can take place. Furthermore, gaps between bone segments that are too large and/or insufficient compression allow motion to occur between the bone segments, disrupting the healing tissue and thus slowing the healing process. Optimal healing requires that the bone segments remain in close contact with each other and for a compressive load to be applied and maintained between the bone segments.
In many fields of surgery involving bone segments, it is common to join and/or rejoin bone segments (e.g., incidentally-created and/or surgically created) using a fixation device in the form of a compression staple. Compression staples are formed from a plurality of legs (e.g., two or more) with adjacent pairs of legs being connected together by one or more bridges. The legs and/or bridge(s) are configured such that the compression staple requires decompression prior to placement (i.e., typically insertion of the legs into pre-drilled holes). Such decompression involves application of a force (i.e., decompression force) onto the compression spring (e.g., on the bridge(s) for causing the legs to move from a configuration where tips of the legs a first distance apart to a second distance apart that is greater than the first distance. Spring memory characteristics of the material from which the compression staples are made such as, for example, Nitinol causes the legs of the compression staple to be urged back toward each other when the decompression force is removed, thereby allowing a compressive force to be exerted between bone segments to which the legs of the compression staple are engaged.
Therefore, an apparatus adapted for accurately, selectively and simply providing for decompression of compression staples through application of a decompression force thereon, for placement of the legs of the decompressed compression staple in provided leg holes in adjacent bone segments while the compression staple remain decompressed, and for selective removal of the decompression force would be beneficial, desirable and useful.